Reassurance
by Scotch-Irish Rose
Summary: Merida is overwhelmed with concern for her father after the demon bear's attack.


Reassurance

_The young princess' thoughts are constantly preoccupied with her father's injury.  
_

* * *

Elinor awakened to a prodding in her side and a tugging at her sleeve. She opened her eyes groggily, and had to use all of her willpower to keep her heavy eyelids from closing again. The soft mattress and the snug blankets threatened to pull her back into a deep slumber, but she stubbornly kept her eyes open, ignoring the persistence of sleep's clutches. Before her, at the side of the bed, stood Merida.

"Merida, _you _should be asleep." the queen whispered, averting her gaze to her snoring husband. The ordeal with Mor'du had left him exhausted, and Elinor was determined not to allow his sleep to be disturbed. "Whatever are ye doin' awake at this hour?"

"I need to talk to ye," her daughter whispered urgently, continuing to tug at her mother's nightgown.

"What's the matter, my dear?" the queen asked, suppressing a yawn. Merida lowered her head and shrugged, and Elinor pulled back the blankets draped over her, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She planted her feet on the floor, taking her daughter's hand. "We must be careful not to wake up yer father, the poor dear."

Merida nodded in agreement, walking with her mother out of her parents' bedroom. Elinor shut the door quietly behind her.

"Is... is Daddy okay?" Merida piped up immediately. Elinor knelt down in front of her daughter and gazed into her eyes – solemn, blue orbs filling with tears.

"Of course he is, dear." she assured her, stroking her curls gently.

The queen expected this lasting concern from her daughter, once her young mind came to terms with what exactly had happened to her beloved father.

"He's still hurt, isn't he?" Merida asked, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Elinor wrapped her arms around her daughter in an embrace.

"Oh, Merida." she whispered, leaning back and using her thumbs to wipe away the tears rolling down her daughter's cheeks. "Aye, dear, yer father _is_ hurt, but he's goin' to get better." she continued, kissing Merida's forehead and hugging her again.

"His leg is goin' to heal?" the princess asked, and Elinor nodded slowly but affirmatively.

The mother and daughter shared a hug one last time before Elinor accompanied her daughter back to her bedroom. Merida crawled back into her bed, and the queen tucked her under the covers, adoration glimmering in her amber eyes.

"Good night, Mummy. Will ye take care of Daddy for me?" Merida inquired quietly, yawning.

"Good night, m'dear. Of course I will." Elinor kissed her daughter's forehead gently. "I love ye so very much."

"I love ye, too." Merida whispered, and the weary queen left the room, closing the door behind her as quietly as possible.

She retreated back to her bedroom, where Fergus continued to sleep soundly, though his snoring had been silenced. Elinor smiled lovingly at her husband, returning to the bed and crawling in beside him. She kissed his cheek tenderly and snuggled close to him, wrapping herself in the inviting quilts and sinking into the soft mattress while she basked in the comforting warmth his body radiated. He had heroically defended his family and saved their lives, and quite possibly the entire Clan DunBroch; she loved him immensely.

Elinor suddenly felt a muscular arm drape over her shoulder, and she raised her heavy lids once again.

"I'm sorry, Fergus, did I awaken ye?" she asked, feeling slightly guilty. She was sure her love was thoroughly exhausted after the battle he had participated in the day before.

"No, darlin'. I woke up by myself, and ye weren't here. Where did ye run off to?" he inquired, slowly opening his eyes.

"I was in Merida's room." Elinor replied slowly, unsure if whether she should tell him about his daughter's qualms or not.

"I had half a mind to go lookin' for ye, but I'm a bit restricted with my leg." he said, glancing at his newly acquired peg leg, freshly delivered from the village. It sat on the floor beside him, leaning against the wooden frame of the bed.

"Ye stay off that leg, Fergus," Elinor warned, "by order of the queen."

Though she knew her husband was quite restless after being forced to be confined to a bed, she was determined to allow his injury to heal completely before she allowed him to participate in his usual activities. She, herself, took on the duty of being a sentry of sorts to assure he would not be able to wander off and risk the possibility of causing harm to himself. When Merida required her attention, she called on Maudie to keep an eye on Fergus for the time being. She knew her husband well, perhaps _too_ well according to the king, and she simply wasn't willing to take any chances.

"As ye wish, m'lady," the king said, sighing. The queen smiled and closed her eyes.

In mere moments, Fergus was asleep once more, and Elinor was lulled into a deep sense of comfort by the rumbling sounds of her husband's audible snores, a simple lullaby to her ears. The castle had calmed; though quite bustling during the day, every inhabitant of the Highlands was safely tucked away in their beds, indulging in dream-thick slumbers.

King Fergus slept soundly, the queen engulfed in the king's muscular arms. She had no fear of awakening him when she shifted positions in bed, as her love, after all, was still recovering from his fateful brawl with the demon bear, Mor'du, and had missed precious hours of restful sleep that night after the battle, investing all of his remaining energy into tending to her needs. It was quite selfish of her, now that she thought of it, though she could rarely deny her husband, when it came to... _that._

Smiling at the thought, she planted a kiss upon his nose before rolling over on to her opposite side, instantly being pulled deeper into her husband's embrace. As his arms wrapped possessively her waist, a low, contented sigh emanated from him, and the queen responded in the same manner as she relaxed her body in the safety of his hug. Elinor placed her hands upon Fergus' as they rested protectively upon her stomach, and the couple relished in the harmony they shared as the queen joined her king in slumber. Her breathing in sync with her husband's snores, she slowly drifted off again.

* * *

The soundly sleeping queen awakened once more at the vigorous shaking of her shoulder. Truthfully, she was growing quite weary of being awakened; she could be quite fierce if she lacked the sleep she required in order to tend to her queenly duties. She reluctantly squirmed out of her king's arms and glanced at the side of the bed. In the darkness, Merida stood alone, tears streaming down her cheeks in rivulets. The queen's heart instantly jumped at this sight.

"Darling, what's wrong?" Elinor whispered with evident concern, sitting up and lifting Merida into her lap.

"Mor'du got Daddy," she whimpered, burying her face in her mother's chest.

"What's this?" Elinor questioned with a furrow of her brow, rubbing her daughter's back gently.

Merida sniffed and crawled over to her father, climbing on top of his gigantic form. He stirred as she did so, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a clamorous yawn. Merida threw herself into her father's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hello there, darlin'!" he chuckled warmly, offering his wife a puzzled glance. "What are ye doin' up at this hour, Merida? Yer mum won't approve of it. Will ye, Eli?" he said, eying the queen once more.

"Daddy... are ye... are ye alright?" Merida asked, wiping tears from her eyes. The king wiped the amused grin from his face, replacing it with a furrow of his brow.

_"Of course_ I am, Merida. What would make ye think that I wasn't, m'wee darlin'?" he inquired of his daughter.

"Mummy says that ye're hurt," Merida blurted, tightening her grip of him. Fergus gazed at Elinor, who remained stoic and held an emotionless gaze.

"Aw, yer mum said that? She worries all too much! I'm fine, lasses!" Fergus assured her, setting his daughter gently down on the bed.

Swiveling around and planting his good foot on the wooden floor, he popped on his peg leg and cautiously rose to his feet, nearly losing his balance in the process.

_"Fergus!"_ Elinor cried fearfully, sighing in relief and placing a hand over her heart when her husband steadied himself and stood firmly beside the bed, regaining his balance.

"See?" Fergus said, and Merida beamed. Fergus took a step, and Elinor decided it was time to intervene. She was adamant on keeping Fergus off of his injured leg.

"Fergus, ye've proved your point, now do as I say and get off that leg!" she ordered harshly. Fergus' face fell, and Elinor, just as surprised as her husband at her own sudden outburst, softened her gaze and cleared her throat. "We're all goin' to be exhausted in the mornin' if we don't get some sleep." she offered. Fergus avoided his wife's gaze as he sat down upon the bed, and looked to Merida, whose lip trembled.

"What's troublin' ye, darlin'?" he asked with concern.

"I-I had a nightmare," she admitted, her blue eyes brimming with tears once more. "Y-ye never came back, Daddy. Mor'du g-got ye! He took ye away from Mummy and me!" she cried, burying her face in her father's tunic.

Elinor looked on, regarding her husband and daughter with adoration, brushing away a stray tear away that was cascading down her own cheek at this grim prospect. Fergus wrapped his arms around the sniveling princess, kissing her curls lovingly.

"Merida, ye've nothin' to fret over, darlin'." he said quietly, wrapping an arm around his queen's shoulder as she settled closer to him.

"W-will he ever c-come back?" Merida asked tearfully, her small body still trembling against her father's massive form.

"Och, I hope he does, love! I can finish what I started and rough 'im up some more!" he replied heartily, booming with laughter.

"No, Fergus, there'll be none of that." Elinor said, shooting him a glare. She'd already nearly lost him once, she most certainly was _not _going to take that chance again. Not on her life. She cleared her throat as her husband pouted, knowing better than to try his hand at arguing with the queen. He'd lost this battle. "Now then, my love," she added, smiling as her daughter wriggled into her arms. "It's time ye were back in yer bed and _asleep."_

"Mummy, I want to hear the story of the wisps," Merida said, already awestruck at the prospect of her mother regaling her about tales of the elusive creatures.

"Oh, not this again, Elinor," Fergus groaned, resting his head upon his pillow. Elinor smirked at the king, shaking her head in disapproval.

His azure eyes brightened eagerly as he bolted upright in bed, grimacing as he did so. Elinor offered him a sympathetic, worried gaze as his mouth curved upward into a grin.

"Do ye suppose we should tell her the story of Mor'du?"

"Goodness, no!" the queen exclaimed, enveloping her daughter in a hug. "The story of the wisps is a grand tale." She touched her forehead to her child's, smiling warmly. "Ye know, darling, the wisps had a special plan for yer dear father and me."

"They did?" Merida gasped incredulously, her blue eyes shining.

"Aye, they did." Fergus scoffed with a smile.

As Elinor regaled Merida with the tale, Fergus listened intently. Though he was skeptical himself, he always enjoyed the lore, though he was far too proud to admit it.

In the midst of his clouded thoughts, he heard a quiet protest from Merida, and a fatigued response from the queen. The king chuckled to himself before turning to his queen, offering aid she so desperately required.

"If ye don't listen to yer mum, Mor'du will come and gobble ye up, wee darlin'!" he warned, lunging at her. She shrieked with laughter as her father seized her in his arms, hugging the princess tightly to his chest. "Right, then. Time for bed, lass." He kissed her cheek, allowing his wife to remove their drowsy daughter from his grasp.

"For once, yer father speaks the truth," she chuckled as she carried the princess out of the room, leaving the king smiling in ecstasy.

He was incredibly fortunate to have such devoted lasses in his life; his entire world revolved around his queen and his wee princess. Without Elinor and Merida, he had nothing; he _was _nothing.

Several minutes later, the queen entered the room again, and he quirked a brow at her. She returned his expression in a way that made the king's heart soar. She retreated to their bed, crawling beneath the sheets to be beside him.

"I'm sorry for challengin' ye earlier, love." he apologized, kissing her temple. She leaned into him and stroked the scruff on his chin.

"I'm just so concerned about ye, Fergus." she whispered, kissing him tenderly.

"Eli, ye know how stubborn I am. Please, don't worry yer pretty wee head about me." he replied, pulling her in for yet another kiss. He grinned mischievously. "Now, my queen, ye'd better be prepared to beg for mercy." he teased with a growl, raising his brows. Elinor raised hers as well, her amber eyes widening.

"Ye stay away from me, ye beast!" Elinor warned, scooting away from him.

He lunged at her, and with a squeal of a protest, she attempted to escape from the bed. Her efforts were futile, for Fergus grabbed her by the waist and squeezed her tightly. He cradled her in his arms, nibbling at her neck enthusiastically. She shrieked with laughter, drawing a short gasp and wrapping her arms around the king's neck.

"I'm goin' to gobble ye up, Elinor," he growled playfully, nipping at her ear.

"Aye, aye! Now, ye've had yer fun, so ye can let me go now!" she shrieked, her skin developing goosebumps as her husband kissed her neck again.

"Och, Eli, ye drive me mad. Ye're the most gorgeous lass in the world, so ye are." he professed with a passionate whisper in her ear, pressing his lips to hers as she blushed modestly.


End file.
